The Parting Glass
by HerNamewasAlice
Summary: Something in his heart was telling him that he was meant to be with her...she's different than anyone he had ever met. She makes him want to be a better person...she makes him...want to be with her.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: **_Something in his heart was telling him that he was meant to be with her...she's different than anyone he had ever met. She makes him want to be a better person...she makes him...want to be with her.  
_

* * *

**A/N: Since there are barely any fics and barely any good fics for Conner/Cassie, I decided to make one. I love Conner and Cassie in the comics - they are soulmates and I was sad that they weren't together in the show (my true YJ pair is Wonderwing and my otp for comics are Conner and Cassie).**

** FUN FACT: Cassie was supposed to be in season one but the creators weren't allowed to use her for the first season so they used M'gann and used her as a love interest for Conner. **

**Another Fun Fact: in the comics, when Cassie was with Tim, Tim cheated on her with M'gann. **

**So here you go! I hope you guys like this. o_O  
**

* * *

**First Tremble**

* * *

Cassie Sandsmark...He never thought of her much. Don't get him wrong - she's a nice girl and all - but he wasn't attracted to her. It wasn't like she was unappealing - quite the opposite - she was cute with her big blue eyes and rosy cheeks - and she's a very, very sweet girl - but he wasn't interested in her. Cassie was a child. Technically she was older than him, she was fourteen and he was almost six - but his mind was of an adult's. And he was with M'gann.

And he loved M'gann.

He had known her his whole life.

He was loyal to her - extremely loyal to her and he wasn't going to do anything to jeopardize his relationship with her.

"So are you sure there isn't anything between you guys?" M'gann asked him. She touched his arm and raised her eyebrow.

"Why would there anything between me and her?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Come on, Conner. You guys are always together exercising and going out to some sporting event or some movie," she was annoyed. She knew that she shouldn't be intimidated by Cassie but she was. Conner bonded with Cassie over things that M'gann didn't like. It bothered M'gann that he seemed to enjoy having Cassie with him more than her and it irritated her more that Conner had been spending most of his free time with the rookie."She's nice," she muttered. M'gann hated how nice Cassie was. She was so nice that it was difficult for M'gann to hate her. And M'gann tried to but found herself unable to. "And she's beautiful," she added bitterly. Beautiful. Cassie didn't need to dress up for people to know that she was beautiful. Very beautiful. Even before Cassie changed her costume, all the new male recruits were infatuated with her. And Cassie's first costume wasn't even as glamorous - oversized shirt with the letter W, baggy ripped jeans, a blue jean jacket with a poorly done spray painted W on the back, dirty white, beaten running shoes, goggles, and a messy fly away black wig.

"There's nothing between Cassie and me," he said calmly.

M'gann frowned. She remembered how last night he went to have dinner at Cassie's house without her. Cassie and Conner...they were close...very close. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," he said without second thought. "Of course I am sure. We're just really close but I love you."

M'gann smiled back. She was relieved to hear him say it to her face. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into an embrace. "I'm sorry for being insecure."

"It's okay," he gave her a smile. "But you shouldn't be insecure though. I love you M'gann and we've been together for five years. There shouldn't be anything for you to worry about. You can trust me and I don't want to do hurt you. Remember I love you," he kissed her.

She sighed and ran her fingers in his hair But her insecurities...she couldn't ignore them. M'gann broke away from his lips and painted a smile on her face. "I love you too."

* * *

After their date, M'gann went to the Cave and visited Dick. "Can we talk?" she asked him in private.

"Sure," he said, sensing her shot nerves. He put down his holographic computer and frowned. Her eyes were swollen and she wasn't even giving him eye contact. She looked very sad and worried. He sat down beside her. "What is it M'gann?" he asked, leaning towards her.

She sighed and shrugged. "I don't know. It's...it's...it's just..." she couldn't even comprehend her own words. She shook her head and inhaled deeply. "The mission tomorrow...can you...can you pull Cassie off from it?"

Dick raised his eyebrow. He didn't understand where M'gann was going with this. "Why? Cassie worked very hard for the position and she deserves this. She really does. I think it's time for her to go in the big league-

"I know that," her eyes locked onto the whiteness of his mask. She bit onto her bottom lip. "I know," she sighed. "But I don't feel comfortable having her in a mission with Conner."

"Why?"

"Have you seen them together?" her voice went cold. They were always together and M'gann felt like he was seeing Cassie more than her. "He's different with her. He's...he's...happier with her than he is with me," her voice died out.

Dick was quiet. "He loves you M'gann." He placed his hand on her shoulder and tried to relax her tense nerves.

"Then...then why doesn't it feel like he does?"

"He loves you M'gann and you know it."

"He 's been spending his time with her," she bit out each word. She didn't like it when he was with Cassie.

"They're just friends," he assured her.

"He spends more time with her than me."

Dick frowned. "You're exaggerating. I know for sure that it isn't true. Tell me how many times do you see him and spend quality time together?"

"Every day," she mumbled. Conner...he always made time for her...but he also made time for Cassie.

"You shouldn't feel threatened by her-

She flicked his hand away from her. M'gann wasn't used to sharing him with anyone and she didn't want to share him at all.

"You can trust him M'gann."

"I know but I don't trust Cassie."

"I know her just as much as Conner and I know that she adores you M'gann. She sees you as a very good friend. She wouldn't want to hurt you."

"I know that she likes him!" she screamed. She was frustrated how Dick was on Cassie's side.

Dick remained calm. "Has she done anything to jeopardize your relationship?"

"Well...no," she sighed.

"Then you shouldn't worry. She's a wonderful person and she wouldn't-

"But she likes him," she whispered. She swallowed hard. She never felt so vulnerable before.

"She's human. She's allowed to have a few crushes here and there as long as she isn't going in between your relationship with Conner. And I know her, she tells me everything. She likes Conner but she doesn't want to do anything and doesn't plan to. She cares too much for you guys."

"It doesn't satisfy me."

"How...how...do you know that she liked him? Did you read her mind?" he frowned.

She didn't answer him but she didn't need to. Her face spoke for her.

"What other things have you've been doing to her?" he was furious. He was protective of all the new recruits he trained, especially Cassie. Cassie was still new with so much to learn and she was exactly like him before he became Nightwing. He wanted to protect her but he hadn't been. "Are you the reason why she's been having nightmares and hallucinations?"

"Yes," she admitted. She wasn't proud of it but she couldn't help it.

He was disgusted with her. "You shouldn't be invading her mind like that." He didn't care if M'gann was his friend for many years. It was inexcusable for what she had done to Cassie. "How could you abuse your powers? How can you purposely hurt a team member like that? You and Conner broke up months ago because you were hurting others and yet you're going back-

"What other choice do I have?" she snapped. He was looking at her like she was some monster. She wasn't though. She wasn't. "I know that she isn't going to do anything but it doesn't give me any security. I see them all the time and they look so perfect together. Sooner or later she'll take him away."

"She wouldn't." His face was full of disappointment and disgust. How could M'gann hurt Cassie? Cassie was a sweetheart and her crush for Conner was innocent. Cassie didn't even want to be with Conner because she cared for M'gann and yet M'gann has been hurting her mentally.

She gritted her teeth.

Dick sighed. "I will go along with your request of separating them but with one change. I'm keeping Cassie on the mission but Conner has to go out."

M'gann stood up. "What?" she frowned. "Take Cassie out but not Conner. He's been looking forward for this mission! You can't do this to him!"

He remained seated, his eyes boring onto hers. "I respect that your feelings but there's no way I'm taking her out. Cassie deserves to be in this mission. She's been working hard with me and Diana and my mind's made up. If you want Conner to be in the mission, Cassie has to be in it too."

She glared at him."I came to you - my friend for help."

"You should now that under certain circumstances, being a leader comes first."

Her eyes furrowed, something dark and cold consumed her. "I won't let you do that."

And just like that...

She erased Dick's memories and manipulated his mind to pull Cassie out.

Out.

That was what M'gann wanted.

She wanted Cassie out - out of the mission, out of the team , and out of her life.

* * *

_**To be Continued...**_

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**A/N: so what do you guys think? I paralleled it with M'gann and Conner's issues in season 2. In this fic she isn't with Tim and that her relationship with Dick in this fic is brother and sister. (Unlike my other stories with Dick and Cassie). Btw I'm not going to make Conner and Cassie cheat because they're better than that. So Cassie will come in the next chapter.  
**

**Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: regarding to what some people think, to make things clear, I am not trying to bash on Miss Martian. I actually like M'gann.  
**

* * *

**Second Tremble**

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"Why are you here?" she asked him.

Conner raised his eyebrow at her.

"I mean- I mean," Cassie stuttered, shaking her hands at him frantically to stop what he was assuming. "It's not like I'm upset you're here but you're here." She turned red, frustrated that she couldn't explain herself well. Cassie sighed out loud. She was never good with words or talking. "Gah!" she said to herself. "Like...why aren't you at the mission?" _And why are you here at the Cave? You would have had tons of fun anywhere but this place._

"I figured to stay behind with you," he shrugged without moving his face into an expression. He put his hands in his pockets and started to roam around in her room. "I still think that it wasn't fair for you to be out of the mission. You worked hard for it."

Strangely, Cassie was sort of relieved that Nightwing changed his mind. After her semi screw ups with Alpha Squad, she felt that she wasn't ready to go out on a big mission anytime soon. She was still new and she was still getting used to things." I don't mind. I would have messed up things, like usual," she sighed.

He turned to face her. He never understood why people were so worried about being perfect. Things happened. Sometimes, things don't go as you planned but you have to keep moving forward. "I make mistakes all the time and so do other members but it doesn't mean that they are incapable of getting work done. You're still learning and you have to make mistakes in order to be prepared for any circumstance."

She nodded. "I know but...I just look at the others...and they are so amazing - especially Nightwing - Zatanna -Jaime - M'gann. And...seeing them...compared to me...I can't help but to feel insecure."

"I think Wonder Girl is pretty something."

She smiled. "Thank you."

His eyes became transfixed by a doll. The doll was sitting on a book shelf, resting beside books and other decorations. He picked it up and stared at it. The doll was light skinned, with painted green eyes, and had long brown hair. The plastic girl was dressed in Wonder Woman attire. "Yours?" he asked, stroking the doll's hair before placing it back. It was obvious that it would be hers but he didn't expect her to still own dolls at her age.

"Yeah."

He blinked. He expected her to go in denial and be ashamed that she still had an attachment to it but she didn't. Instead she was unaffected and relaxed that he discovered her old toy. "Aren't you a little too old to have dolls?"

"It's not like I play with them. I like to keep it with me because the doll means a lot to me. It was the only thing that my dad gave me when I was young." Her lips curved into a smile. "I guess it was one of the reasons why Wonder Woman is my idol."

"Oh."

"Don't you have any toys that you still have left?" she felt foolish for asking him but she did.

"No. I never had toys."

She frowned. "You never had toys?" It sounded like blasphemy to her - to never be consumed by the excitement of waiting for Santa Claus to bring you presents...it must have been awful. "Have you ever went trick or treating, going door to door for candy?"

He shook his head. "No, but I heard of it and the rituals."

She blinked several times. "Have you've ever played games?"

"I have played games but what games are you talking about?"

"Like tag- or tetherball- or four square-

He became perplexed by her confusion. "I was created to be physically and mentally sixteen," he said interrupting her from asking anymore questions regarding to children.

"I find that sad," her lips were twitching. She knew that he was going to live forever at the same age but it just occurred to her that he was taken away from experiences from it. To just be in one place - never changing - never growing...it was heartbreaking.

"Find what sad?"

Her eyes lowered. He didn't understand what she meant. "That you didn't have a childhood," she said in a sympathetic tone. She couldn't imagine what it was like to be born and forced upon adult life without any foundation. To never experience a time of innocence - free from problems - free to run around and have fun - and free to be a child - she found it heartbreaking.

He was quiet and thought about it to himself. "I never thought about that before," his voice cracked. "The first years - I was just happy to be free from Cadmus. I was happy to have Superman's approval - friends - a girlfriend - but I never thought about it before." Maybe a small part of his mind did and maybe he repressed it. The years kept going by and it pained him to see his friends grow up and have a life of their own while he couldn't. It killed him more to know that they will go away and eventually he would be alone. "I guess that's why I'm connected to kids," he said to her, pushing his thoughts aside. He didn't want to tell her or anyone how he felt about watching people he cared about age. "I don't mind that I was created this way but...I wonder sometimes what it's like to be like them," he said pouring every emotion into his words. To be like them - like children and like his friends that were now adults.

Adults.

His friends were no longer children.

They were adults and going to have children of their own.

And they would all die.

"You know you still can," she said, touching his shoulder. He watched as her bangs slid down to cover her left eye. He preferred if she clipped her bangs back so he could see her whole face, not parts or fractions of it. She snatched her bag and swung her arm around him.

"How?"

"We're going to an Funland!" she grinned.

"I-

"Come on, Con!" she exclaimed, trying to convince him. He was scowling at her but she ignored it and smiled wider. "While everyone's out, we should have some fun and you will be having fun and experiences without any jokes. Don't you want to relax and have a good time?

"No."

She let go of him and pouted. "You're always so serious and boring. You practically live underneath a rock," she teased. She only teased him to convince him to doing something. "Come on, let's go have fun. You won't regret it. Do you even know what Funland is?"

"Of course," he snapped. Of course he did. He had heard about it from Dick years back. Bruce wanted to have Dick's fourteenth birthday there and Dick went on complaining about the park and how Dick was too old for it. By Dick's descriptions, Conner knew it was a huge park with slow, outdated rides and with adults dressed in obnoxious animal suits and overpriced items. Despite the negative opinions regarding to the place from the team, he wanted to go there. Conner wanted to see for himself and he wanted to try to understand why little kids adored the place. However, he never went to the place. The team was too old for it and they didn't want to go with him. They didn't understand why he wanted to go and they would have taunted him relentlessly if he didn't intimated them.

"Please?" she asked, batting her eyelashes at him.

He swallowed hard and shifted his gaze away from her. He was mentally old and the place...it was something for children. He shouldn't even want to go or be tempted to.

"I know you're thinking like you're old but technically you're six and six year olds deserve to go - no. Scratch that - it's like a pilgrimage to childhood." Her eyes seemed to glimmer even more - and she had these kind of eyes - the kind of blue eyes that sparkled - and right now her eyes were brighter if you could believe it.

He hated when she was being adorable. It made it harder for him to scold at her and threaten her. Even if he did, she wouldn't be afraid of him. She was never intimidated by him."Fine," he forced himself to mutter and sound annoyed. He kept a scowl on his face. He didn't want to show his enthusiasm in fear that she would tease him. "We can go," he could feel his face get hot from embarrassment. A part of him really, _really_ wanted to go and he hated it but he did. He really wanted to know what the hype from the children was about and also why teenagers hated the place.

"Yes," she nodded, chuckling. She swung her arm and clung onto his. "We're going to have a good time. You're going to love it."

_"Sure."_

"Trust me, you're going to love it. The second you don't - which is nearly impossible at the greatest place - but if you do, we will leave right away, okay?"

"Okay," he forced himself to grumble.

* * *

**_To be continued..._**

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**__A/N: please review  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Third Tremble**

* * *

He couldn't believe he was here. And with Cassie. That was a bad combination. This was a bad idea. He stood out and he didn't understand the attraction with "Funland." Loud music. Colorful streamers and confetti everywhere. Dancers and people in cartoon creatures everywhere. Children were running around everywhere - they wild and free and their poor parents trying to capture them. He stood there, with one foot out on the entrance. She clutched on his hand and forced him into the park. "Come on, Conner!" she screamed. "You're going to love this place."

"Over my dead body."

"Stop being so crabby," she gave him a playful grin. "Just keep an open mind about this, okay?"

He glared at her but then he noticed that he's holding his hand. He kind of likes it. He doesn't know why but he does. "Okay." He doesn't acknowledge her to let go of his hand at all.

"What do you want to do?" she asked, leading him to the benches. He watches her sit down first and follows stiffly.

"I don't know-

She hands him a map.

He raised his eyebrow but takes it. She was sure something. Childish and kind. He is reminded that she is still fourteen. "Thanks," he dryly said. He unfolds the map and studies the attractions, shows, and monuments. The map was very colorful and detailed - good quality, to his surprise. He liked to read to learn to attain more information. He can read a thousand page book in a matter of two hours and can remember every little detail, down to the font number of the words. However, his favorite books he liked to read were books with pictures. There was so much he didn't know about the world and having pictures helps him grasp a better picture on things. "What about this?" he asks, showing her the map. He points at a picture of a play theater that is decorated with paper flowers and plastic trees.

"Oh, Storytime Stage," she tells him what it is. "I used to love that when I was little."

"What's it's like? I am aware they have plays but what kind?"

"Each day, the plays are different. Most of them are different fairy tales but there's always a twist. They also have plays that are original stories that the creator made. They also have some plays that are comedies and parodies. And sometimes there are performers doing their skits, dances, and martial arts. It's always different. Literally. I've been here a lot when I was little and I never saw the same thing. You want to go there?"

He nodded. It sounded interesting.

She smiled, showing him her dimples.

He doesn't give her a smile. He just stared at her blankly with a scowl on his face. _She has a really nice smile,_ he thought. It wasn't the first time he thought about it but right now, it seemed like her smile had gotten prettier.

They started to walk. She was leading them. She knows the amusement park by heart he knew because she wasn't using the map. He frowned. One of the reasons was that there was so much people and the second reason was that she wasn't holding his hand. He doesn't know why he is bothered or upset by it but he was. "How fare is it?" he asked. He snatched her by the hand. "You're going too fast," he muttered. Okay she wasn't, but he wanted to have an excuse to hold her hand.

She laughed. "Sorry." She slowed her pace but he still holds her hand.

* * *

The show doesn't start for another twenty minutes but there were already half the seats were taken. They choose to sit in the far back. He notices that there are mats near the stage and children and sitting on them. There were at least eighty mats. "Why are the children sitting there and not with their parents?" he asked her.

"They sit on the mats so they can see. You know little kids are short," she laughed lightly. "And it's also because these plays are interactive plays for kids."

"Oh."

"You're acting like you're an alien that got here yesterday," she laughed.

"Well technically I am an alien," he said matter of factly. "Well...a cloned half human and half alien, but you get it."

"Yeah I do," she chimed. He didn't say anything and crossed his arms, waiting for the play. "OH!" she said, tapping him on the shoulder excitedly. "Look the show is starting!"

She watched him. She doesn't even pay attention to the show. It was more interesting watching his reactions. He was engrossed with the play. He has no expression but she knows he's interested by the way he was leaning out of his seat and every time something serious happened, his eyebrows would knit. She wasn't surprised. He was interested in everything. It was in his blood to know things and to want to know things. Like when they went out for burgers, he would analyze it before eating or when they went to a movie, he would be so intrigued in the movie that he would be quiet for days and thinking about it. He was always so serious. She knows he can smile but for some reason he doesn't. It was like he refuses to for some reason or another. She wonders why she likes him. Sure they had a couple of things in common but their personalities were polar opposites. He's attractive - she has to admit, but she doesn't care for appearances. He's very moody, private, intimidating, and introverted.

"Where are you going?" she asked, watching him stand up and walk away from the show. "It isn't over."

"I hear a little girl crying," he said.

She followed him. She doesn't hear the crying but she remembers that he's Superboy. He has super hearing and can hear things that she couldn't. They walk several feet from Storytime Stage - yards maybe to a point she doesn't see the stage. There is a little girl, sitting on the ground, leaning against a wall of the store. The girl was four or so - maybe five. She had long curly brown hair, brown eyes, and tan skin. She was lovely...but she was alone, hugging her legs. And she was crying.

He went to the girl and got down on his knee. He gives the little girl a smile. "Are are you okay?" he asked.

The little girl shook her head.

"Where are your parents?" he asked her.

"I-I-I d-don-t't k-now," she was heaving.

"Me and my friend, we will help you find them," he says in a gentle tone. "Would you like that?"

She nodded, wiping her eyes.

Conner took the little girl by the hand and turned to look at Cassie. "Where is the center for lost children?"

"It's not far, like three minutes away," she answered.

He nodded and looked at the little girl. "We're going to take you to the center. There are nice people there and they will look for your parents. We will wait with you there until they come, would you like that?"

The girl nodded. "You have a Superman shirt," she beamed. The tears stopped and she was taken by the shirt.

He laughed. It was a genuine laugh. "All the kids like Superman and that's the first thing they noticed. What's your name?"

"Sophie," she blushed bashfully. They started to walk to the center. Sophie held on to Conner's hand and looked at the both of them with huge, shiny eyes.

"My name is Conner and my friend, her name is Cassie."

Then, Cassie remembers why she liked him. He could be very sweet. She liked how he was so nice and kind to little children. He showed them a side to him - a welcoming, safe side.

"She's very pretty," Sophie said shyly.

"I know," he said to Sophie.

* * *

They waited in the Lost and Found Center for Sophie's parents to come. There was toys and books for the the lost children to play with and there were lollipops too. Cassie and Conner played with Sophie along with the other children. Cassie watched as Conner soothed the frightened children with reading a book and letting them mess with his jacket. They asked him many questions since he was wearing a Superman shirt. He told them stories of his adventures and it made them smile.

Cassie helped the other workers pass out snacks to the children.

"HI!" Sophie jumped in front of Cassie. She grinned and gave Cassie a curtsey.

"Hi!" she grinned, handing Sophie a juice box and a cookie. "How are you feeling?"

"Good. Play with us," she begged.

Cassie smiled. "Okay."

Sophie took Cassie by the hand and led her to the others. Cassie played patty cake with them and she taught them some games. Sophie's parents came and she waved Conner and Cassie goodbye. They stayed in the Lost and Found Center until all the children left with their parents. They stayed there for four hours. "Sorry," Conner said, opening the door for her. They walked around the area, looking for something to eat. "I wanted to stay so they wouldn't feel scared."

"I don't mind. I would do that without you asking me," she smiled. "I think it's cute that you have a soft side for kids."

He shrugged it off. "It's nothing really. It's the right thing." He looked around and then faced her. "What do you want to eat?"

"Cotton candy."

"I mean real food."

"Anything really. Where do you want to go?"

"Mm...over there," he pointed at some Italian restaurant.

"My treat then."

"I'll pay."

"No I will."

"No I _will_ pay."

She laughed. "We'll figure it out later. Let's get something to eat." To her dismay, he paid. He got a slice of pepperoni pizza and a plate of spaghetti with a Sprite. She got a slice of pizza with mushrooms and olives and she got a plate of pasta and a Coke. They sat down outside, at a small table. They sat across from each other and ate their food. "Do you like it?"

"It's alright. It's not bad but it's not the best but I'll eat it because I'm hungry."

"Me too," she said, taking a huge gulp of her soda. " It's not the best food but they have good junk food here."

"Like cotton candy?" he smirked.

"Yes," she grinned.

"I will get you cotton candy after this then."

"And I'll get you a souvenir to call it even."

"Fine," he shrugged.

"You're still the same, you know?" she said taking a bite of her pasta.

"The same?" he raised his eyebrow.

She nodded, her blue eyes shining. "You're still the same even though you act all brooding and all, you're still the same. Sweet. Just like the first time I met you."

"Oh."

"You don't remember do you?"

He took a sip of his drink. "I met you not too long ago-

"No. Before that."

"Before that?"

"Yes."

His eyes furrowed. He placed his plastic fork down and thought for a long time.

"Remember five years ago? When the adults were gone and the kids were the only ones left on the planet?" He looked at her with confusion. She sighed and continued. "Well, you found me. I was eight then and I was by myself. I was crying and I was scared but you found me. You made me feel better and you made me feel safe, just like the way you made Sophie feel."

* * *

**_To be Continued..._**

* * *

**A/N: yeah, you know lol, Conner and the kids :D  
**

**I don't know why but I see them as Peter Pan and Tinkerbell. I see Cassie as Tinkerbell because her voice actress voices Tinkerbell and I see Conner as Peter Pan because he doesn't grow up and kids adore him :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: For stories that aren't that really popular, I update slowly. I kind of go by a certain amount of reviews before writing up a new chapter. So don't worry I haven't forgot this story :D**

* * *

**Fourth Tremble**

* * *

She had gotten him a stuffed giraffe. It was soft and it was pastel colored. The giraffe was small and limp but she had gotten for him and he cherished it very much. He kept it on his shelf, just like the way she did with her doll. He sat on the floor with crossed legs and stared at it intently. He liked the stuff animal very much. Conner had received many gifts in the years of his life but they were mostly clothes or items for his pets. He liked the gifts given from his friends but he liked the giraffe more than anything because it was part of a place that should be his childhood if he was human.

There was a knock on a door.

"Come in," he said, not even looking behind him.

He's thinking right now, wondering why he really likes it. It should be a little bit odd for him to be so wrapped over a toy. Of course, he was odd as it was. He knew what people said about him. He was Superboy. He had super hearing. People that liked him only liked him for his appearance and nothing else.

"Hey," M'gann said.

He turned and gave her a smile. "Hey."

"How are you?" she asked, sitting beside him. She gave him a long kiss and hugged his arm.

"Good," he said bluntly, his eyes returning to the toy.

"What's that Conn?" she said. M'gann pointed at the new item on his shelf. She noticed everything about him and anything that had to do with him. You couldn't blame her, the toy stood out with it's brightness and huge black gleaming eyes.

He turned to her and raised his eyebrow. "Don't you know what it is?"

She laughed. "Of course I do, but, you know."

"Oh." He nodded. "Cassie gave it to me."

Her smile vanished. He never looked at an item that she gave him like that before. How could he cherish something so insignificant? How could he like something that Cassie gave him even more than all the things she gave him during their relationship? "Cassie?" her voice broke out.

"Yeah," he said, unaware of her emotions at the moment. "While you guys were gone yesterday, Cassie and I went to Funland and she got me this as a souvenir and I got her candy and a bracelet with her initials."

"That's nice," she winced.

"Yeah," there was a slight smile on his face. "She's a very nice girl. I wish we could be partnered on missions. She's very fun."

"Do you like her or something?" the words left from her lips. Her eyes were narrowed and her hands were on her hips.

"What?" he raised his eyebrow. "No."

"Come on Conner. You and I both know that's a lie."

"She's just a friend, M'gann. How many times do I have to tell you that?" He was irritated now. No matter how many times he told her, she didn't believe him...she didn't trust him. "Get this straight," he gritted his teeth. "There's nothing between me and her."

"Then why did you get her a bracelet?" she snapped.

"Because she got me something and I wanted to be nice."

"Nice?" M'gann rolled her eyes. "You're a little _too_ nice with her."

"Wait what-

"Do you like her?" her eyes were watering.

He stopped gritting his teeth. She looked so sad. So broken. Seeing her like this - seeing her expression, it reminded him how much he cared for M'gann. He leaned and kissed her cheek. "I don't like her," he said clearly. "We're just friends, M'gann. Nothing else."

"Then prove it to me."

* * *

He didn't want to do this but he had to. He went to her, Cassie. In the middle of the night, he knocked on her bedroom door. "Conner?" she yawned, her eyes barely opened. She's in an off the shoulder long sleeved gray shirt and light blue pajama pants. Her hair is in a ponytail. He kind of liked her hair like that. He doesn't know why he even noticed it but he did. "What are you doing here? It's late at night-

"I broke up with M'gann earlier," he interrupted her.

Her skin tightened from his words. She frowned. She stood there, at her doorway. "W-w-hat?"

"I broke up with her," he said again but slower. "Can we go in? I don't anyone else to hear."

Cassie blinked and shook slightly. She was still shocked. "Oh - yeah, we should." She let him in and closed the door and switched on the light. "Wait- what happened with you two- why did you break up with her? You said you were happy with her."

Conner exhaled deeply. "She didn't like us spending time together. I've been telling her that me and you are just friends but she didn't believe me. She wanted me to stop seeing you so I broke up with her."

"Oh," she swallowed. "Was...was I the reason why you broke with her? Because I didn't mean for it to happen. People tell me that I shouldn't be so affectionate because I might to lead to trouble for my guy friends - and I didn't mean it. I should have toned it down. I didn't want her to think that I was trying to steal you away- Whatever I did, I didn't mean for it to happen. Honestly I didn't-

"I know," he placed his arm on her shoulder. "I know."

She slouched her shoulders. She still felt horrible. She couldn't help but to feel like she was responsible for him breaking up with M'gann. M'gann was a great person. "I'm sorry," she whispered. That was all Cassie could say. "I really am."

"Don't feel sad," he went closer to her. "It wasn't your fault. You didn't do anything wrong. I broke up with her because she didn't trust me. The reason why I broke up with her the first time was because of the same thing. I thought she changed and that she's different after what we've gone through but she's not."

"But you guys were together for a long time."

"It still doesn't give her a right to try to control me and tell me who I can be with. I like you Cassie. You're a good friend and I want to still be your friend."

She couldn't help but to smile. "I want to be your friend too."

* * *

**_To be Continued..._**

* * *

**A/N: So with Cassie, she likes Conner but she knows her boundaries. She doesn't want to hurt M'gann or Conner. Her relationship with Conner is pending due to his feelings for M'gann still.  
**

**please review!  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: This chapter is written a little bit differently because I wanted a certain type of style and flow to the story. There is a one year time gap in this chapter and from now on. I hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

**Fifth Tremble**

* * *

**Dick: **_What do you see in her?_

**Conner: **_Everything. She was my everything. The only thing I've known._

**Dick: **_Okay, what do you see in Cassie?_

**Conner:** _I don't know- I really don't know._

**Dick:** _If you didn't see anything, then you wouldn't be thinking about her. What do you see in her?_

**Conner: **_Something.  
_

* * *

**Cassie: **_I don't want to be your second option. I don't want to be your rebound._

**Conner:** _You're not. It's been over a year since I broke up with her - you're not my second option-_

**Cassie:** _She's a good friend of mine - even though she did things - awful things, you have to understand why she did it. She loved you and you loved her. __You've been with her your whole life - those feelings - those feelings don't go away.__  
_

**Conner:** _They don't but they get set aside when something better comes along. I haven't stopped thinking about you since that day - our day-_

**Cassie:** _No, we shouldn't. _

**Conner:** _You mean something to me - I can't explain it. I'm not good with expressing myself and my emotions but if you didn't mean anything, I wouldn't be going through all this trouble, Cassie. I don't chase after girls. They usually chase after me but since that day - I've been chasing after you. Don't try to tell me anything - I know you feel the same.  
_

**Cassie:** _Conner-_

**Conner:** _Answer my question, do you like me?_

**Cassie:**_...y-yes **(exhales)**_

**Conner:** _Then we should be together._

* * *

The voices, the voices - conversations of weeks before, they were clear. Sharp. Defined. All he could hear were voices - her voice. See her - her face. Her eyes. Her smile. He sat there, on the floor of his bedroom, staring at a photo strip of them together. They took it months ago, when they were still 'friends' by her terms. The photo strip, they took it in a photo booth that was in a mall. It was a standard booth, consisted of four photos. They got copies of the same photo strip. He analyzed the photos. The first one, she looked very shy and flustered while he was irritated and stiff. At least she tried to smile while he didn't. Conner didn't like to take photos. There was something artificial about them to him. The second photo, they sat there, blanked face and awkward - her arm rubbing the other. They weren't even looking directly at each other. It was understandable when the person wasn't enjoying taking the photos.

He chuckled to himself. He doesn't know why but it made him laugh. Usually he would cringe when looking at photos of himself.

The third photo, it was taken at the wrong time. He remembered what he was doing. He felt bad for not going along with what she wanted, so he tapped her on the shoulder and gave her a slight smile. They were slightly smiling but the booth took it when they were looking at each other, not the lens. The last photo, it was them smiling, with full sets of teeth. Real smiles, genuine ones.

Conner stood up and placed the photo back where it belonged, in his box. He had a little box - actually, it wasn't little, it was a shoe box actually but Cassie painted the box black and on the lid, she painted a Superman logo. And the box - he kept everything that were shoe size mementos of their times together - cards, receipts, ticket stubs, bottle caps, notes, and photos - and a piece of shoe string. The shoe string - it was a funny story really, they went running one day at the beach and he tripped over his shoe laces and tore it out.

His eyes caught on his own clothing - jeans, his brown jacket, and his Superman shirt. He sighed and muttered. He doesn't care about what he wore or how he looked but in an hour, he's supposed to meet Cassie on their first date - and he sort of wants to dress up. KIND of. Not over the top. Just...something different. He liked it when they wore their hero shirts together but when they were in the civilian attire, she doesn't wear her Wonder Girl shirt twenty four seven the way he did with his Superman shirt. And it makes him want to wear something different so he could sort of match her, sort of. "Maybe I can borrow a shirt from Kaldur."

...

The shirt that Kaldur lend him, it wasn't too fancy or idiotic or suffocating. It was a standard pale blue T shirt. It didn't hug his body or was too short, it was alright by Conner's standards.

...

"Hey," he says roughly as he took a sit on the opposite side of the booth.

"Hi," she chimed, giving him a smile. She's wearing faded blue jeans and a floral shirt. The shirt was white with small yellow sunflowers all over it of different sizes. It was low cut but she had on a white tank top underneath. Over it, she had on a light brown knitted short sleeved cover up. Her hair is braided, off to the side, tucked underneath a matching light brown knitted cap. "You're wearing a different shirt?" she raised her eyebrow and chuckled. "I thought you only owned one shirt."

"I don't, I own thirty seven Superman shirts. All of them are the same design."

She laughed. "You sound like a fan boy."

"This coming from a fan girl," he couldn't help but to be amused. Usually he would be annoyed if anyone called him a fan boy. "So, did you order already?"

Cassie nodded. "Yep. Two cheeseburgers with french fries and chocolate milkshakes."

He liked that about her. They knew what the wanted. They didn't need to go over a stupid menu or wait for the other to order. It was a diner, why should people spend ten minutes over a menu of either burgers or salads or steak and eggs? He preferred ordering for the person slash vise versa to save the time of waiting for a meal. The food came a minute after and they were digging in. She doesn't even blink, she digs right in - taking a huge bite. He does so too after he studies the texture of the food. "You look nice," he says but it came out to be awkward and out of place. He turned red automatically. He wished he could have said it a little bit quietly because everyone was staring at them.

She blushed and placed her burger down on her plate. Taking a napkin, she wiped her mouth. "Oh- um..thank you?"

He scolded everyone first so they could stop poking their noses and then, he bit his lip. She didn't seem pleased. She looked uncomfortable. Usually when he complimented a girl, they would light up and smile. She didn't - of course the compliment was random and resulted into perplex stares from the people. "Sorry," he sighed. "I-'m not really used to the first dates."

"Same here," she laughed.

"It's weird - since you're my friend - and we're on a date," he said the words in broken breaths. "I-I don't know how it goes."

"Me either," she messed with her hair.

"When is it a good time for me to kiss you?"

Cassie nearly choked on her drink. "Uh um - I don't know," her cheeks flushed again. She wished he wasn't so blunt with topics like that. It wasn't something that people asked. "It's sort of soon - this is our first date - and I guess - when you want to," she pulled on her braid.

"Well," he said, unchanged by her reaction. For someone that noticed and studied everything, he was oblivious to how she was nearly yanking her hair from the topic. "I want to kiss you when you want to."

"Oh -um...I-I-uh mm these fries are good!" she brought a french fry to his lips. "Here, have one," she said. "Is it good?"

"Yeah," he said through mouthfuls. His eyes flickered and his mind finally registered to the signs she was giving. He swallowed and took a sip of his chocolate milkshake. "Sorry - I thought it would be - you know simpler since I had girlfriend but it isn't. You're different - I shouldn't expect our relationship to be the same. I'm still clueless."

"Everyone is. And I don't know - I guess when the time is right?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

* * *

After their meal, he takes her to a Cue Studio. He took her there, because she wanted to go there. A Cue Studio was a store with nothing but Asian photo booths. Asian photo booths, they were different, to his surprise. The booths were pink and glittery, plastered with pictures of girls behind colorful backgrounds and words all over. He sees groups and groups of girls and couples - smiling and giggling. The only thing that was running in his mind was: _so many preppy people. It's sickening. _"I never been here," he tugged on the sleeve of her cover up.

"I can tell," she smiled, taking him by the hand. "Do you still want to take pictures. If you don't then we don't have to-

"I want to," he cut her off. He wants to because he wanted to make her happy.

"Oh okay. You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Okay - how about we go here? To this booth?"

"Sure."

...

The booth is huge and airy, upbeat music is playing. Inside of the booth, it was bright and there is a white bench. The wall behind the bench was a green screen. Conner raised his eyebrow. "So how do you work this?" his eyes are on the screen. No camera lens. Just a huge screen with ongoing pictures of photos and over the photos are Japanese words that say the word 'begin.'

She laughed. "Well you do this," she inserted money she pressed the start button. The screen transitions to four different photos. One photo, the background was yellow, the other blue, red, and the last one was black. "And these are the options. Which one do you want?" He points at the second photo with the blue background. Cassie pressed on it and it lead to twenty different photos. Photos of girls sitting on a moon, behind a zoo, in comic strips - one girl smiling while the other girl was in a picture frame - some were posing while there was a word bubble - countless poses. "So see that timer on top, you have to pick ten pictures you want to take before time runs out. So which one do you want to take?"

"Um," his eyes lowered and he sees that this was only one page option out of five. He presses the screen of a picture randomly. It doesn't matter to him. They all seemed the same. They pick one by one.

"And now, see the screen?"

The screen now was showing a background that he picked. He picked the pose with the purple sky and a crescent moon. "Yeah."

"We have like ten seconds to make the picture decent," she laughed. She pulls him by the arm and has him sit on the bench. She's positioning herself so it would look like she was sitting on the moon. He does the same but he's still confused with the whole thing. The computer voice from the booth starts to count down from five in Japanese and he sees Cassie smiling. He forces himself to smile.

It's overwhelming, the picture taking - trying to fit into the empty slots of the pictures but after the third picture, he's used to it and he's smiling and laughing. He's having fun with her. He enjoyed running with her and trying to make a decent picture and level himself for the frames and posing.

"So now, we go out and go to a screen thingee that is connected to the booth," she said. "We're going to decorate the pictures and pick them out."

"Decorate?" he raises his eyebrow. "The pictures are colorful as it is and we're going to decorate it?"

"Yeah," she chuckled. "Like put stickers and words and edit stuff."

"I've been programmed to know about everything but I'm still confused about this."

"I was confused too but after a while, you get used to it."

...

They're looking through the photo as he walked her home. They only took one picture in one photo booth. Cassie wanted to go in another photo booth but Conner kept asking so many questions about the booths that they didn't have time for another booth. It didn't matter to her. She like the photo they had. The photo was made up of seven out of ten photos that they picked and were different sizes. "Tell me which photo stickers you want," she said.

"They're stickers?"

"Yes."

"Why are Japanese photo booths so complicated?" he grumbled. "Ten dollars for one photo of small pictures? It's like inception or something."

She shook her head and grinned. "They're cute, you have to admit."

"Next time we're going again to take more. And I like this one and that and that."

"You really like the picture of us sitting on the moon."

"Yeah."

"You can pick whatever picture you want, it doesn't matter to me as long as I get this one," she pointed at the photo of them behind teddy bears. In the picture they were making funny faces by stretching their mouths and eyes. "I like this one the best. It's something that I never thought you would do and I want proof to remind myself that you're not all that boring and that you can loosen up," she teased.

"You can get that if you promise not to show it to anyone."

"I promise-

He kissed her on the cheek. "I felt like it was the right time."

* * *

_**To be Continued...**_

* * *

**A/N: LOL yeah I incorporated the first time I took my boyfriend to a Cue studio XD. I love them. Describing about Japanese photo booths are hard and I explained just a little in the chapter. By the way, I'm Asian if you guys are wondering.  
**

**What did you guys think of their super awkward first date? X3**

**Please review**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:**

**Due to people barely reviewing and and reviews declining, the story will be cut short. I tried to keep up with the story from the beginning but the story isn't popular so I'm not going to continue writing it. I hope you guys enjoy the story and I will not continue this story. Maybe I will write about them in the future but right now is unclear. **


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